Universal Animation Studios
Universal Feature Animation |type = Division |industry = Film Television |predecessor = Walter Lantz Productions |foundation = May 23, 1991; 27 years ago |founders = Michael Wildshill |location = Universal City, California, U.S. |key people = David Stainton Tom Ruzicka Stuart Snyder |owners = Comcast |num_employees = 720 (2018) |parent = Universal Pictures (NBCUniversal) }} Universal Animation Studios (or simply Universal Animation) is an American animation studio owned by Comcast through its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Founded on May 23, 1991, the studio creates animated feature films, short films, and television specials for Universal Pictures, and has produced a total of 23 feature films, from Ama and the Mysterious Crystal (1997) to Computeropolis: The Deep Web (2018). Universal Animation Studios currently maintains its main feature animation studio in Universal City, California, as well as a satellite studio in Glendale which produces direct-to-video and occasional theatrical animated feature films. The studio was originally formed as Universal Feature Animation in 1991 by some of Gingo Animation's feature animation alumni, while Universal Cartoon Studios was formed to produce television series and direct-to-video films. As of July 2018, Universal Animation Studios' feature films have grossed a combined total of $153.3 billion worldwide, with an average gross of $726.9 million per film. Three of its films — Paradoria (2015), Computeropolis: The Deep Web (2018), and Imagimals (2016) — are among 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and ten of its films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Paradoria being the third all-time highest in the latter category. The studio has received two Academy Awards, 41 Emmys, numerous Annie Awards, and multiple Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. History 1991–96: Founding The original Walter Lantz Productions cartoon studio was closed down by Universal Studios in 1972 due to the rising costs and declining returns of short subject production. However, before Universal restarted its animation division in 1991, Universal released its first three animated films, such as An American Tail in 1986, The Land Before Time in 1988, and Jetsons: The Movie in 1990. In late 1990, Gingo Animation co-founder Michael Wildshill met with then-President of MCA Sid Sheinberg to discuss the creation of a feature animation division, an offer which Wildshill immediately accepted. Universal Feature Animation was officially established on May 23, 1991 to produce theatrically released animated feature films to rival Disney's animated features. John Cohen was brought in to head the new division, which was set up in a building on the Universal Studios lot. To build the talent base, Wildshill brought over artists from Gingo and its feature animation department, while Cohen recruited some of the staff from Walt Disney Feature Animation. Meanwhile, Universal Cartoon Studios opened its doors in 1991 as a satellite studio in Glendale to produce television series and direct-to-video films for Universal. That same year, the studio produced its very first production, which is an animated television series based on Back to the Future films airing on CBS from 1991 to 1992. Some of Gingo Feature Animation's artists in North Hollywood came to Universal Feature Animation in early 1994 when their first feature was in post-production, with the rest doing so in the following year when Gingo Feature Animation was merged into UFA. In 1994, Universal Feature Animation announced a full slate of animated projects in development: Ama and the Mysterious Crystal (then titled Legend of the Magic Crystal), an adaptation of T. H. White's Mistress Masham's Repose, and Galaxion (then titled Salmagundi). 1997–2001: Initial success The first of Universal's animated features was Ama and the Mysterious Crystal (1997), a fantasy adventure featuring the voice talents of Christina Ricci, Hank Azaria, and Patrick Stewart. Directed by Michael Wildshill, Ama received positive reviews from critics and was a success at the box office, which overpowered Disney's summer release for that year, Hercules. Ama established Universal as Disney's then-first major competitor in feature-film animation. Animation production for Ama was primarily done at the new Universal feature animation studio, although much of the work was outsourced to animation studios around the world. In 1999, its next film, Galaxion (1999), received mixed reviews and under-performed at the box office. In the same year, Gingo's Paint World, UFA's third animated feature, was released to critical and financial success; it grossed over $452 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film of the year as well as the second highest-grossing animated film of the year behind Toy Story 2. The fourth animated feature from Universal Feature Animation, Mistress Masham's Repose (2001), received a positive reception from critics and audiences but under-performed due to little marketing and fanfare. 2002–07: Conversion to computer animation The studio's next film, Me & Mobo (2002), received a positive reception from critics and audiences. However, the studio decided to rush its release to September with a rushed marketing push. UFA's next feature Magina, released in 2003, received mixed reviews from critics and under-performed at the box office which led to a growing perception that hand-drawn animation was becoming outdated and falling out of fashion in favor of the increasing popularity of computer animation, so UFA decided the same year to exit hand-drawn animation business after the next two of total seven hand-drawn films. Upon the unsuccessful release of Magina, Universal laid off most of the employees at the Feature Animation studio in Universal City, downsizing it to one unit and beginning plans to move into fully computer animated films. A handful of employees were offered positions doing computer animation. Subsequently, on April 17, 2003, Universal Feature Animation officially announced they were becoming a fully CGI studio, now with a staff of 460 people and began selling off all of its traditional animation equipment. In 2004, Universal released its first fully in-house computer-animated feature film Computeropolis to critical and commercial success. It grossed $687 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 2004. Computeropolis established Universal as the fourth studio after Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and Blue Sky Studios to have launched a successful CGI franchise. In April 2005, Universal announced that it would be creating Computeropolis: A Technical Ride, a 3-D ride at Universal Parks & Resorts locations in Orlando, Hollywood, Sentosa, and Osaka. The ride officially opened on June 11, 2006 in Orlando, in Hollywood on March 15, 2008, in Sentosa on March 18, 2010, and in Osaka on March 4, 2011. In July 2005, the studio released its second computer-animated film M.I.S.S.I.O.N., which had been in active development since 1997, to generally positive reviews and had grossed over $293 million worldwide at the box office. In 2006, UFA's ninth film and third computer-animated film BJ and Wally, in co-production with Gingo, was released to mixed reviews from critics. However, it was a box office success, earning $486 million worldwide. The studio's next feature and first sequel Computeropolis 2 opened in 2007. It earned over $953 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of the year and breaking a record as the most profitable film from Universal Animation. In January 2008, Universal Feature Animation renamed itself to Universal Animation Studios. 2008–10: Restructuring and continued success In 2008, Universal announced a deal with an up-and-coming animation studio named Illumination Entertainment, positioning it as NBCUniversal's family entertainment arm within its feature animation group consisting of Universal Animation. This meant Universal would be able to release as many as three animated films in a year divided between the two studios. Many felt this decision was made to help Universal to establish itself as a competitor to Disney's feature animation group, which consists of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Michael Wildshill later explained that after the merger, to maintain the studios' separate identities and cultures (notwithstanding the fact of common ownership and common senior management), he and the Universal Animation executives "drew a hard line" that each studio was solely responsible for its own projects and would not be allowed to borrow personnel from or lend tasks out to the other; the rule ensures that each studio maintains "local ownership" of projects and "can be proud of its own work". Thus, for example, when Universal Animation had issues with Gabriel Garza (2011) and Illumination with The Lorax (2012), "nobody bailed them out", and each studio was required "to solve the problem on its own", even when they knew there were personnel at the other studio who, theoretically, could have helped. After Universal's deal with Illumination, Universal Animation released its eleventh feature Swapped, a CGI animated comedy that follows a young girl and a teenage goth boy who swap bodies. The film opened to a much bigger than expected $43 million opening, and ended up with $376 million worldwide. Woo La La, the studio's twelfth feature film, was released in 2009 and became a significant critical and commercial success, earning $532 million worldwide. The following year, Computeropolis 3, the third installment in the ''Computeropolis'' franchise, was released. The film was a box office success, earning over $783 million worldwide. However, unlike the first two Computeropolis films, Computeropolis 3 was not well-received critically. 2011–present: Further expansion and future projects After Computeropolis 3, Gabriel Garza, a new CGI feature film that marked a return to the Gabriel franchise, followed in 2011 to critical acclaim and commercial success and was nominated for several accolades. The film earned $645 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2011. The studio's next feature was Plucky Chicken, released in 2012 and grossed $426 million worldwide, but received mixed reviews. In September 2012, Universal named former Walt Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider the new president of Universal's Feature Animation division; however, in January 2013, Schneider resigned for personal reasons. In March 2013, the studio released Quest to critical acclaim and earned over $524 million worldwide, becoming a box office hit. In September 2013, Universal named another former Disney Animation president David Stainton as the president of the feature animation studio. Universal Animation's seventeenth film Gabriel Garza 2, a sequel to the studio's 2011 film Gabriel Garza, opened in theaters in 2014, earning over $895 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2014. In October 2014, just a month before the release of Disney's Big Hero 6, Universal entered a licensing agreement with Disney to use the Hiro Hamada character and trademark for Universal Animation Studios productions (such as films, television series, shorts, specials, video games, etc.), which sparked media speculation that Hiro will guest star in Gingo Animation's animated comedy sketch series ''GGTV'' as well as appearing in one Universal film. Universal coincidentally planned an animated film based on the original Big Hero 6 comics by Marvel in the mid 2000s until it got cancelled years before Disney released their own version of Big Hero 6 in 2014. Universal Animation president David Stainton stated that the reasoning was due to wanting to have Hiro in Universal media because of the increasing popularity of "Liro", an internet crossover fan-fiction relationship between Hiro and Leno Garza, a character from Gingo's ''Gabriel Garza'' franchise, as they both share the similar appearance and characteristics. Universal stated in July 2017 that they intend to keep the Hiro Hamada character license from Disney until the contract expires in 2027. Paradoria, a CGI fantasy-adventure film, was released in March 2015 to widespread acclaim and became a blockbuster hit. Directed by Steve Samono and Gary Hall, it was the first Universal animated film to earn over $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue and is currently the highest-grossing Universal Animation film (surpassing Computeropolis 2 in 2007) and the third highest-grossing animated film of all time, behind Frozen and Minions. In October 2015, Universal named former Cartoon Network president Stuart Snyder as the executive vice president of the Universal Feature Animation Group. In December 2015, the studio's next film Luna & Zak, directed by Mark Dindal, was released and was another commercial and critical success for the studio, grossing over $600 million worldwide. On April 28, 2016, NBCUniversal announced its intent to acquire competing studio DreamWorks Animation for $3.8 billion, making DreamWorks Animation a sister studio to Universal Animation Studios and Illumination Entertainment; the acquisition was later completed on August 22, 2016. Imagimals, a Geo G.-directed animated film set in the world of imaginary creatures, was released in September 2016. It was the second Universal Animation film to cross the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office revenue. Universal Animation's latest releases are the third installment in the Gabriel Garza reboot film series, Gabriel Garza 3, released on March 3, 2017, the musical Lix, released on December 8, 2017, and the fourth installment in the Computeropolis franchise, Computeropolis: The Deep Web, released on May 4, 2018. Universal Animation Studios is currently working on Paradoria 2: Enchanted Realm (2019), Luna & Zak: Level Two (2020), Earth Farm (2021), and Hyper (2021). Three untitled Universal Animation films are set for release on February 25, 2022, February 24, and December 20, 2023. They were previously scheduled for March 4, 2022, March 3 and December 22, 2023. Other Universal Animation films in development include a film adaptation based on the children's book Sector 7, Polly and the Black Ink, Gabriel Garza 4, Lix 2, Imagimals 2, and Mech-Girl, an original animated film that pays homage to Japanese mecha anime written and directed by Computeropolis and Quest creator Audel LaRoque. Partnerships Illumination Since 2008, Universal Animation Studios and Illumination have been separate sister companies owned by Universal and had a close relationship. Many members worked extensively with both studios. They have made similar types of animated films. For example, Universal Animation's Computeropolis franchise and Illumination's Despicable Me franchise both competed as Universal's character-heavy computer-animated films with imaginative environments. During this period, Illumination also had commercial success with the two ''Despicable Me'' sequels (and its spin-off Minions), The Lorax, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing, while Universal Animation's success continued with Gabriel Garza (and its sequels), Quest, Paradoria, Luna & Zak, Imagimals, and Lix; however, some of Universal Animation's films—such as Plucky Chicken and Computeropolis: The Deep Web—and Illumination's Minions and Despicable Me 3 received mixed reviews but they were box office successes. According to resources, both studios were intended to prompt Universal to establish a hugely successful track record of animated films from the two studios that would compete both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios—both owned by The Walt Disney Company—in feature animation; nevertheless, Universal became the second film studio to operate two feature animation units following Disney. Much like Disney Animation and Pixar, both studios often share common ownership and senior management but the deal was structured so that Illumination and Universal Animation would operate as completely separate studios under the Universal corporate umbrella so that that each studio is to remain solely responsible for its own projects and is not allowed to borrow personnel from or lend tasks out to the other. Both Gingo and Illumination had worked together on their first collaborative project Despicabopolis, a crossover direct-to-video film of Despicable Me and Computeropolis. DreamWorks Animation On August 22, 2016, NBCUniversal acquired competing studio DreamWorks Animation, appointing it a sister studio to both Universal Animation and Illumination. Filmography Feature films : Further information: List of Universal Animation Studios films Released films Upcoming Films in development Direct-to-video feature films Television specials Short films Miscellaneous work *''The Gabriel Garza Movie'' (2002) — Uncredited; production arm of Universal Television Animation; co-production with Gingo Animation *''Curious George'' (2006) — Production arm of Universal Animation Studios; co-production with Imagine Entertainment *''The Tale of Despereaux'' (2008) — Uncredited; production arm of Universal Animation Studios; co-production with Relativity Media and Framestore Feature Animation Franchises Accolades Academy Awards Golden Globe Awards Annie Awards Critics' Choice Awards Kids' Choice Awards Gallery Coming soon! Trivia *Universal Animation Studios is often described by fans as the Universal counterpart of Walt Disney Animation Studios while Illumination is described as the Universal counterpart of Pixar. *Unique for an animation studio, every one of Universal Animation's feature films so far features a younger (human) protagonist (mostly a young boy or a teenage boy). See also *List of unproduced Universal Pictures animated projects *List of animation studios owned by NBCUniversal *Universal Television Animation *Illumination Entertainment *DreamWorks Animation *Universal Interactive Studios *Gingo Animation Category:Companies Category:Universal Studios Category:NBCUniversal Category:Comcast Category:Universal Animation Studios